


Drawn To

by ellie_effie



Series: Trailing Veilfire [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Conversations, F/M, Flirting, POV Solas (Dragon Age), Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition Quest - In Your Heart Shall Burn, Pre-Relationship, Storm Coast (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:13:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27303940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellie_effie/pseuds/ellie_effie
Summary: "Solas walked up to where Yondi’nne was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the mountain. The same spot he had been observing her earlier, he thought with a smile to himself. And there it was again: that pull she had over him. The mortal who had walked in the Fade, the Dalish regarded as the representative of humanity’s divinity, the bearer of his own anchor. The leader who instead of barking orders decided to sit in silence and stare at the ocean. It was only natural that he would be curious about her."A conversation at the Storm Coast where some things get established.
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/Solas (Dragon Age), Female Lavellan/Solas, Lavellan & Solas
Series: Trailing Veilfire [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870522
Kudos: 5





	Drawn To

If anyone has asked him to describe the Storm Coast, the first word that would come to Solas's mind would be "humid". But even his soggy feet wraps couldn’t stop him from being in awe of the place. How he enjoyed walking through the verdant forest, even if it was in a futile search of the lost artifacts of the Grey Wardens. Even the dangerously steep cliffs offered a beautiful view of the ocean, and Solas wished he had enough time to explore the place one day.

But it wasn’t the place’s natural beauties that he was observing while standing over the edge of a cliff that afternoon. I was the scrawny and gritty Dalish elf he had accepted as his momentary leader. The Herald of Andraste, although she hated to be called that, was down by the shore talking to a gigantic qunari man. The bodies of several darkspawn laid on the ground around them, a proof of the vicious battle that had occured merely minutes ago. A battle that Solas had observed with a mix of concern and admiration.

Yondi’nne wasn’t half as bad with her magic skills as he had expected from an elf born in such times. A bit too aggressive, if he was being honest, burning through her mana too quickly with large bursts of energy. But she had been able to keep up with the other warriors well enough.

There was a moment, however, when she was catching her breath that one of the darkspawn, sensing her weakness, ran up to her with his sword in hand. And if it wasn’t for Blackwall’s quick intervention, striking the creature across the torso with his broadsword, perhaps Yondi’nne would have fallen then and there. Solas justified the pang of fear he felt when he saw that interaction to fair reasoning. Of course he didn’t want the bearer of the Anchor injured or blighted. Or worse, dead. Not right now, not her. She couldn’t die. For perfectly reasonable motives, of course.

“So how’s it going down there, Chuckles?”

Varric yelled in his direction from back at camp. Down by the shore, the Herald and her companions were sharing a drink with the Ben-Hasarath contact: apparently everything had gone as expected and now they had a new ally and group of soldiers. 

“It went well, I presume.”, Solas answered, turning on his heels and walking back to sit next to Varric by the fire. “They should be returning soon enough.”

Varric gave him a friendly nudge when he sat down. “Are you upset that you didn’t get to go down there to kick some darkspawn ass?”

“No. I’m never eager to get into fights, Master Tethras.”, Solas said firmly, and Varric just shrugged.

“You certainly seemed broody looking down at them going at it.” Varric said, offering the elf his waterskin. “I thought maybe you were upset she didn’t invite you to come along.” 

“I assure it’s nothing of the sort.” Solas took the waterskin to his mouth but stopped halfway. “And you weren’t invited either, if I recall.”

“Nah!” Varric waved his hand dismissively. “Let the new girl tag along for a bit, they didn’t need another archer.”

Solas finally took a sip of the water. “Well, then. We both agree we are better off standing on the sidelines.”

Varric let out an incredulous snicker. “Chuckles, judging by the way you were watching over on that cliff there, you’re not gonna stand on the sidelines for too long.” Solas furrowed his brows but let the conversation die.

A couple of hours later, the Herald returned with Cassandra, Blackwall and Sera to camp. She announced with a tired smile that the Chargers would soon join them in Haven. Solas noticed that despite the good news, she seemed distracted and maybe a little grumpy as she went around making sure they had everything they needed for the journey back. After conferring with Cassandra on how to best inform her advisors, Yondi’nne retreated to the edge of the mountain, far from their encampment but still in their line of sight. 

“It’s best we stay here for the night and go back to Haven early in the morning, we don’t want to risk travelling at night and in this rain.”, Cassandra informed him. The Seeker was right: the drizzle was incessant, a horse could easily fall and get injured.

“I agree.”, Solas replied, noticing she hadn’t actually asked for his opinion but acquiesced to it anyhow. “I will inform Mistress Lavellan, then.” Which was also something Cassandra hadn’t asked of him, but he turned and walked to her before Cassandra could reply.

Solas walked up to where Yondi’nne was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the mountain. The same spot he had been observing her earlier, he thought with a smile to himself. And there it was again: that pull she had over him. The mortal who had walked in the Fade, the Dalish regarded as the representative of humanity’s divinity, the bearer of his own anchor. The leader who instead of barking orders decided to sit in silence and stare at the ocean. It was only natural that he would be curious about her.

He approached her, making as much noise as he could as not to startle her, and finally cleared his throat when he was standing right behind her. When she turned to face him and he found her sparkling eyes staring up at him, Solas was suddenly unable to convince himself that it was curiosity alone that drew him to her.

“Pardon my intrusion. Cassandra tells me that we will be spending the night here and leaving in the morning.”

“I thought Cassandra might opt for that…” Yondi’nne looked back at the camp and then back up at Solas. “It’s fine by me, it might be the smartest choice.”

He nodded but found himself unable to walk away. While he was searching for something else to say, Yondi’nne scooched over to the side. Without asking for permission and before he even realised what he was doing, Solas sat next to her. He noticed she smiled softly as she observed the waves.

“What has compelled you to sit here in solitude?”, Solas asked without preamble.

Yondi’nne pointed out towards the sea. “I was thinking that it’s a two days sail in that direction to Wycome.” She brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. “This is the closest I’ve been to home since I left for the Conclave.”

She was running her hands on the grass next to her feet and still hadn’t taken her eyes off the water. Her hair was plastered in her face from the constant rain, to which neither one paid any mind.

“I think it’s the smell of the ocean, you know?", she continued." It reminds me of home. When it was really hot, we could smell the salt air even when we were deep in the forests. It’s so beautiful there! You can climb up a mountain on a clear day and look over the horizon in the Amaranthine Ocean.” She huffed. “I guess I’m a bit homesick, that’s all.”

“It’s a perfectly understandable sentiment.” Solas said, matter of factly. “The explosion of the Conclave was most unexpected. You should have returned home, but instead…” He gestured back at the camp with his head. “Still, I would argue that one must make the best out of the situation, even when it doesn’t go according to plan.” 

Yondi’nne turned to face him with a smile he couldn’t quite comprehend the meaning and huffed. “I thought you might say something like that.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged and threw a pebble over the edge. “You will say that you understand how I’m feeling but it’s not the time to dwell on it because none of us has a choice in the matter.” 

That stang more than it should have. In part, because he would have said something along those lines. It wasn’t the first time a Dalish had shunned his counsel, but hearing it from her in such a lifeless tone caught him by surprise. Solas quickly regained his composure and bowed his head, making a motion to stand. 

“I shall leave you alone, then.”, he mumbled.

Before he could do that, Solas felt her hand coming up to his back and he stopped himself. Turning to face her, Yondi’nne was biting her lower lip with a troubled look on her face. 

“It… It was a very rude thing to say. I didn’t mean it like that. Ir abelas.”

She shook her head and let out a breath, Solas thought angrily that he could kiss her. Her hand was still on his shoulder blade, giving him a warm tingling sensation, even over his thick waistcoat. It wasn’t, to his surprise, the hand with the mark: that hand was closed in a fist over her knee, the hand on his shoulder was entirely hers. 

With a great effort to sound casual, Solas said: “There is no need to apologise. I would... have said something like that.”

With a smile, she gently squeezed his shoulder and it was as if a bolt of electricity ran through him. As soon as she removed her hand, the sensation was gone and he felt an odd chill on the spot where her hand had touched.

“And I should say, in fact, that I am quite grateful to have you to count on, Solas.”, she said. His eyebrows shot up in disbelief and she let out a breathy laugh. “What? It can’t come as a surprise, I have asked for your counsel numerous times, haven’t I?”

“It’s not that I am surprised.” , Solas began.  _ I just never expected it from a Dalish, nor that you would be so upfront about it. _ She was now looking intently at him, with her chin propped on her fist and and a curious half-smile in her lips, like she was waiting for him to say something. 

But far from disagreeable, Solas enjoyed being the centre of her attention. Perhaps he enjoyed it far too much. And it might be wise to stop relishing it so much before its clear temptation became a weakness.

“And is there any counsel I can give you this time?”, Solas asked, surprising himself with how sultry he sounded.

Yondi’nne’s smile widened. “Well, for instance…”, she said, straightening up a little. “Our new Qunari ally. He brings a group of soldiers with him, and some useful information about the qunari plans. However, he is, by his own admission, a spy. Do you believe the advantages outweigh the risks in this case?” 

“I believe my opinion on the subject might clash with what your advisors tell you.”

“I still want to hear what you have to say, Solas.” 

And there it was: an order given in the most delicate way, but unequivocally an order. Yondi’nne valued his counsel, worried about his well-being and treated him like she did any other of her allies. Solas had almost no indication that led him to think that she saw him as anything more than an advisor or perhaps a friend.

He cleared his throat and looked out to the sea before answering. “The qunari are thuggish, narrow-minded people. But we’re not in a position to refuse allies at the moment, and he does bring his company with him. They might prove useful in the future, even if they cannot be trusted.”

Yondi’nne sighed and looked pensive for a while. “I remember this one time, back with my clan, when I was in charge of supervising the stocks we had for the rainy season. It rains a lot in the Marches during summer, so we had to make sure we had everything in order before the rains began. So there were…” Yondi’nne cut off abruptly and smiled back at him. “I’m going to tell you about the Dalish but I swear I do have a point and I’m not trying to tease you, okay?”

It hadn’t even occurred to him that she was, so he just snickered and continued to eye the movements of her mouth as she continued her story.

“So I was trying to make sure we were ready for the rainy season and there were these two kids who followed me around the camp asking for a story. ‘Tell us the tale of Ghilan'nain and the halla one more time, Dinny!’, they’d scream at me. At one point I got angry and told them I would only tell the story if they helped me set up the tents, which they did. That night, we had a terrible storm. Can you guess what happened with the tent the two kids set up?” 

Solas huffed out a laugh. “I imagine the children weren’t able to build the sturdiest of tents, were they?” 

“Nope.”, she answered, shaking her head. “It was washed away and some of the hahrens were soaking wet.” Yondi’nne held back a laugh. “I was ready to break their little necks the next morning. But you know what Keeper Deshanna told me? ‘It was  _ you _ who asked the kids to set up the tents.’ And it was. I had asked two small kids to set up tents, instead of, I don’t know, cleaning the hallas’s watering through. And they did their best, but it was too much for them. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Of course he did, but at that moment he only wanted her to keep talking in that chirpy and wise tone. He gently nodded for her to continue and she turned her body to him, and the grass beneath made a wet sound.

“You don’t ask kids to set up tents. And you don’t ask your ben-hassrath ally to handle your correspondence. That doesn't mean they can’t help, it just means you have to assign them the right roles.” 

“That is…”  _ naive of you to think you can exert such control over people in a growing organization. _ , a voice in his head replied, but he quieted it with no trouble. “...something you should keep in mind.”

Yondi’nne winked at him and he noticed that, while she was talking, she had discreetly bridged the gap between them. As dusk had begun to fall and with the never ending rain, he was having trouble seeing her expression, but her glowing eyes were moving rapidly and her warm breath tingled in his shoulder when she huffed out a laugh.

“It is, isn’t it? To mind what people feel comfortable doing. Respect their… boundaries.”

That choice of word was so explicitly deliberate that Solas knew she was changing the subject. It was the opportunity to respectfully step away, to not allow either one of them to get further tangled in something that would ultimately only bring misery and disappointment. Solas had every intention of telling her so and walking away. And instead he leaned down in her direction and found himself struggling to find the right words.

“I appreciate you, Solas. I really do.” 

He smiled as his cheeks started to burn, and he silently thanked the rain and the twilight. Sensing neither of them were willing to steer the conversation away to a less dangerous topic, Solas cleared his throat and stood up in one swift move.

“We should get you out of the rain.” , he said in a resolute tone and reached down his hand for her to grab.

“As you say, healer!”, she said in a playful tone, and he laughed at her cheekiness. She took his stretched out hand and gestured for him to hold his other hand for her. Grabbing him by both hands, she pushed herself upwards with more momentum than necessary and bumped into his chest.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”, Yondi’nne asked while not moving away from him. She smiled mischievously as she squeezed both his hands when he didn’t reply. “We really should get out of the rain, you know?”

With a chuckle, Yondi’nne let go of his hands and turned her heels. He watched her walk back to the camp and it took him a while before he was able to follow her steps. A soft sigh left his lips when Yondi’nne disappeared behind her tent’s flap. Solas hurried back to his tent, he would never hear the end of it if Varric caught the sheepish smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Solas shamelessly flirts with Lavellan in game and only pulls back out of guilt. This is not something I'm creating specifically for my OC but what I can interpret from their in game interactions. He doesn't question if he has feelings for her and I don't see him regretting his decision to be with her (only to break up with her both in Crestwood and in Trespasser).
> 
> 2) The comment he makes about the qunari is loosely based on what he says to a qunari Inquisitor at their infamous balcony scene. This is something Solas eventually changes his mind about IN THE GAME (and in this story if we ever get to this part). 
> 
> 3) The story she tells about the kids and the tents is my addition. Mage Lavellan was their clan's First before the Conclave so it's obvious they would have some experience with leadership before becoming the Herald. That, in my opinion, adds to the dynamic of the Solavellan relationship in many levels. Some that I plan on exploring in the future.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! :)


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